Bacterial Catabolism of Phthalates With Estrogenic Activity Used as Plasticisers in the Manufacture of Plastic Products.

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs), the pervasive and ubiquitous endocrine-disrupting chemicals of environmental concern, generated annually on a million-ton scale, are primarily employed as plasticisers in the production of a variety of plastic products and as additives in a large number of commercial supplies. The increased awareness of various adverse effects on the ecosystem and human health including reproductive and developmental disorders has led to a striking increase in research interest aimed at managing these man-made oestrogenic chemicals. In these circumstances, microbial metabolism appeared as the major realistic process to neutralise the toxic burdens of PAEs in an ecologically accepted manner.

Evaluation of distinct molecular architectures and coordinated regulation of the catabolic pathways of oestrogenic dioctyl phthalate isomers in sp.

Bacterial strain GONU, belonging to the genus , was isolated from a municipal waste-contaminated soil sample and was capable of utilizing an array of endocrine-disrupting phthalate diesters, including di--octyl phthalate (DnOP) and its isomer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), as the sole carbon and energy sources. The biochemical pathways of the degradation of DnOP and DEHP were evaluated in strain GONU by using a combination of various chromatographic, spectrometric and enzymatic analyses. Further, the upregulation of three different esterases (, and ), a phthalic acid (PA)-metabolizing operon and a protocatechuic acid (PCA)-metabolizing operon were revealed based on whole genome sequence information and substrate-induced protein profiling by LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis followed by differential gene expression by real-time PCR.

Biochemical and Multi-Omics Approaches To Obtain Molecular Insights into the Catabolism of the Plasticizer Benzyl Butyl Phthalate in sp. Strain PAE-6.

Phthalate diesters are extensively used as plasticizers in manufacturing plastic materials; however, because of their estrogenic properties, these chemicals have emerged as a global threat to human health. The present study investigated the course of degradation of a widely used plasticizer, benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), by the bacterium PAE-6, belonging to the genus . The metabolism of BBP, possessing structurally dissimilar side chains, was evaluated biochemically using a combination of respirometric, chromatographic, enzymatic, and mass-spectrometric analyses, depicting pathways of degradation.

Molecular evaluation of the metabolism of estrogenic di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in Mycolicibacterium sp.

Background: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a widely detected plasticizer and a priority pollutant of utmost concern for its adverse impact on humans, wildlife and the environment. To eliminate such toxic burden, biological processes are the most promising ways to combat rampant environmental insults under eco-friendly conditions. The present study investigated the biochemical and molecular assessment of the catabolic potential of Mycolicibacterium sp.

Phthalate hydrolase: distribution, diversity and molecular evolution.

The alpha/beta-fold superfamily of hydrolases is rapidly becoming one of the largest groups of structurally related enzymes with diverse catalytic functions. In this superfamily of enzymes, esterase deserves special attention because of their wide distribution in biological systems and importance towards environmental and industrial applications. Among various esterases, phthalate hydrolases are the key alpha/beta enzymes involved in the metabolism of structurally diverse estrogenic phthalic acid esters, ubiquitously distributed synthetic chemicals, used as plasticizer in plastic manufacturing processes.